Week 4 Blog Posting # 8 Reflection on Blogging

I find it simply amazing how we communicate today... It is almost surreal. However it is what it is!

This generation will make a difference.

The applications are endless however the policy must change to implement the reality of this vast technology. Constraints should be included for the digital native so both sides can

come together. Educators should make the usage of technology an enriching experience in the learning environment. The projects that I find interesting and so do the digital natives is

digital story telling it is so natural for them to use the technology at hand. Videos shooting, the endless stories, the role-playing , the written stories,

the ability to bring it all together in this format of digital story telling. I do see trouble ahead using this format in K-12 so I will be using it in college level design course to be perfectly frank. I want to use

this technology in every in all it's mutations. Music is such a part of their world to be able to integrate this is powerful stuff. A wonderful way to keep project journals, collaborative projects for design. Webquests are a fabulous way to create an opportunity for learning a variety of subjects.

I have enjoyed blogging and bring videos and links to each of the blogs.

Quest Atlantis is also one of my favorite sites to have the digital learner to experience in an after school program so the parents would totally be on board at a grassroots level.

Totally leaving the brick and mortar behind. I am a member of Quest Atlantis and looking forward to being trained.

http://theteachingpalette.com/category/music-integration/

Week 4- Blog Posting #7- Second Life

It was so nice to be back into my Sivad Dragoone skin and of course being on a Full Sail mission to explore and experiment in Second Life. I also just wanted to mention it's not so intimidating it seems the more you go the better it is each time. My first stop was the Multiple Intelligence areas. Sivad enjoyed her experiences with interactivity, she even took pictures! Just like being a kid again. Freedom to explore.

Sivad truly connected with Kinesthetic (Yoga positions tree,warrior, knife and more. Yes she also played with each instrument love percussion in the Musical section. Mathematical area ok it's cool, interpersonal (it was a little difficult because I was the only one), Intrapersonal Sivad Loved the mirror, naturalistic always beautiful, Literary and Linguistic nice but I was not feeling the poetry that day so I did not leave one but I 'll go back when I have more time to reflect and be brilliant and clever. The artistic area a wonderful place to paint a masterpiece.

Next stop Blooms Taxonomy was interesting I do concur with his theory. However memory is some what of a challenge as you age. Multitasking does not help either. Here are some of Sivads pictures from her trip.

My next visit was to become a member of ISTE I know have that added to my moniker. I did not get a chance to go to a meeting because it conflicted with my current employement. However I did meet Stephen and Cyberlily and Roselle our docent for ISTE. I looked around at the different areas blogger and other learning environments I hope to go to a meeting soon. Eduisland II is no longer in existence.

Week3 - Blog Posting #6 Communities of Practice

I recently had an incredible experience. I went to my Facebook page and there was a video of my late mother who had pasted away on November 1, 1994 she was only 72 years young. I had not until Saturday evening heard her voice or seen her in action. I was brought to tears. My cousin from Los Angeles shared this little video ( she is digitizing all her footage) with me and my sister. The cool thing is my whole family is on Facebook and every week it seems like a new member is popping up. The reason you may ask is why am I sharing this with you. It is because the power of digital networking is incredible. It can be your family tree in a digital ever changing in real time world. What a community it brings...

My project is about One Laptop Per child OLPC I have befriended Nichloas Negropointe MIT founder of OLPC on facebook. I am sharing with him what I am proposing and awaiting his feed back. I have actively joined OLPC and OLPC Ethiopia. I am in the process of sending them questions for my project. My project has to do with the community of OLPC children/students They have the ability to Mesh meaning communicate within a small circle and larger global circles. I want to create their voice in a digital storytelling format. I want to get a more in depth insite to how the laptop has changed them, their families and the communities.

Week3 - Blog Posting #5 Social Media

This weeks video from TED: Gordon Brown : Wiring a web for a global good

This really pulled on my heart strings. I was that little girl who saw the cover of LIFE magazine on the coffee table. I was horrified then as I am every time I see it that picture of that little girl running naked away from the naplam bombings. I went a step further out of curiosity and opened the magazine to the article. I saw more pictures of people with naplam on them and thought to myself is this what the world is really like? Only if I had the technology of today to get other children and parents to stop the bombing of napalm. What a horrendous way to die or be tortured and survive and be severally maned for the rest of your life. That picture and one other of a missionary family that were hatched into pieces in Uganda in the Sixties also a LIFE Magazine expose. I stopped looking anymore because I felt powerless in what was happening in the world. With all the emotions that were stirred then, how fantastic it is to be able to have technological exponential power to use to A MAKE CHANGE that has such a powerful rippling effect. If we had the available technology back in the day, we could have stopped the Vietnam War and all the causalities of war a whole lot sooner.

"Wiring for a global good "is a great way introduce and show students that they have the power to effect change. That they are a part of the community, that they can make a difference.

To implement this in a lesson plan I would have them do research on the availability of drinking water in under-served countries we would as a class join an organization like "End Water Poverty". Have the students research what others have done and as a group analyze their findings, create pictures, poems, find pictures using creative commons, prepare a script and pa storyboard for their final piece then it into a video that becomes a part of a campaign awareness on "End Water Poverty"then post it to Youtube and the "End Water Poverty" website, blog and send a message out to all there friends with instructions to join a "End Water Poverty" Facebook group. Tell them to spread the news to all their friends and family.

www.endwaterpoverty.org/take_action/

This is a initiative for all to get involved.!! Most importantly children because it's about children.

Week2-Blog Posting # 4B 21st Century and Life Long Learning Skills

MITOPENCOUSEWARE and other programs Like Merlot are the perfect answer to Life Long Learning . The access to this knowledge is unreal. The Professors donate their research and course curriculum. The fact that any one with the desire that wants to learn cutting edge education is virtually at their finger tips is unbelievable. Just imagine for a moment that you want to expose your learners to a collaborative project using the MIT OPENCOURSEWARE on the advancements of science and technology or any subject that they offer not only do they get to experience the course, but so does the teacher. The teacher now becomes a change agent. These students now can apply the 21st century tools to become leading authorities of the 22nd Century. They will engage, analyze, synthesis, prioritize collaborate, create, communicate, and have unbelievable outcomes. When I complete my coursework for my Masters at Full Sail I am going investigate and dive right in to this opportunity. I will bask in the glow of knowledge. Then I will share my experience with my class and we will explore there open coursework together. This is a Life long learning opportunity. No one should miss. Please let me share the video about MIT OPENCOURSEWARE. You will be enlightened and challenged.

My next Video I would like to share will you is titled "Learning to Change and Changing to Learn". This video is has some of the 21st century minds sharing their observations, scholarly views about our current educational system. They speak of the change that will be required to meet the global challenges in preparing our learners.

You will hear from in order:

Keith Krueger, CEO, CoSN(Consortium for School Networking),

Greg Whitby, Director of Schools, Catholic Education Office,Diocese of Parramath, Australia

Greg Black ,CEO Education.au united Austraila

Julie Evans, CEO Project Tomorrow

Stephen Heppnell, CEO, Heppnell.net Ltd.UK

Yong Zhao, University Distinguished Professor and Education Director, Confucius Institute, College of Education Michigan State University

Barbara S. Nelson, Former South Carolina, State Superintendent

Cheryl Lemke, CEO, Metiri Group

Susan Patrick, CEO, NACOL (North American Council for Online Learning

Chris Dede, Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Karen Greenwood Henke, Writer, Consultant, CoSN Board Member Nimba Press

Deborah Baker, Superintendent Leroy CSD,NY

Daniel Pink, Author"A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future"

Ken Kay, President Partnership for 21st Century Skills e-Luminate Group.

The reason for me listing these presenters is that as I had mentioned before they are the heavy hitters they are the change agents. They know that change must come from within. That change must occur in the Districts, Administration, Teachers and Parents. Then and only then can we prepare our learners. Contributions of learning will come from a global connection. Prepare them to understand how to use the 21st century tools to create a kaleidoscope of brilliant thinking minds. Both of my videos are interrelated to Life Long Learning and 21st century learning. I found both videos a breath of fresh air. I hope you will gain more knowledge from then too.

Week2-Blog Posting#4 21st Century and Life Long Learning Skills

Week 2-Blog Posting #3 Media Literacy- "Media is the Message"

"The Medium is the Message"

Herbert Marshall McLuhan 1911-1980

I find that it is hard to write about a subject matter without exploring it's origins. Herbert Marshall McLuhan should be one of the names that one encounters in exploring media literacy. He is one of the most controversial and noted as being one of our original thinkers of our time. Know as the "Father of Communications and Media studies" He is the one who predicted that the world would become a global village. He was a visionary of his time. To give you greater understanding on his comment "The Medium is the Message" as stated by McLuhan (1964)

"Each medium, independent of the content it mediates, has its own intrinsic effects which are its unique message. The message of any medium or technology is the change of scale or pace or pattern that it introduces into human affairs. The railway did not introduce movement or transportation or wheel or road into human society, but it accelerated and enlarged the scale of previous human functions, creating totally new kinds of work and leisure. This happened whether the railway functioned in a tropical or northern environment, and is quite independent of the freight or content of the railway medium".

What Mc Luhan is making reference to the railway is analogous to the electronic age of media of print, television, computers and the world wide web the internet. " The medium is the message" It is the "medium that shapes and controls the scale and form of human association and action".

As I was reviewing some research about Media Literacy I found a great article written by Barry Duncan a former graduate student of Marshall Mc Luhan's called "Media Literacy Makes it Possible to see Both the Forest and the Trees-Teaching Backgrounder he states

"Almost everyone knows that traditional literacy is associated with the skills needed to decode the

printed word. Thus, media literacy is about decoding the mass media, especially television. Since most of us already know a fair amount about the subject, what becomes essential is a willingness to learn more and to see things from a fresh perspective".

He writes about a immigrant that has little experience seeing television and how he is bombarded with unlimited, breaking news, comedy, drama, suspense, relief from constipation, instant beauty and 24 hour news. You see media literacy has grown into a virtual spider web called the internet. Instead of watching we are participating and collaborating and applying critical analysis to everything we do and experience. Our diverse perspectives and resources are giving more empowerment to the global village. We are agents of change and having that persuasive power of entitlement in how we learn. There are no borders or boundaries our ability to disseminate information in a virtual world as a virtual person(Avatar) is unbelievable. We actually go into an artificial environments and teach or train individuals from each corner of the globe in different languages at the same time. Our access to Web 2.0 tools is phenomenal and soon in a flash that to will evolve in to web 3.0. Why are we so stuck into the colonialist teaching for our youth. We will need these new media literacy skills to compete on a level playing field in real world applications. Study after study have been done they say it's the administrators they say it's the teachers. We have the skills we have the tools lets guide them perhaps they will guide us. They already are self directed have peer to peer collaboration perhaps they will find the opportunities like Mit's Open CourseWare funded project where they can combine formal and informal learning to lessen the gap of traditional learning.

MIT Milestone Celebration| Keynote speaker Thomas Friedman Columist (2008)

I will have my learners participate in digital storytelling project, subject focus THEMSELVES as a way to share collaborate with their families and friends. To enrich each others lives, culture, values, heritage and self esteem. Digital storytelling is layered with writing, rich narrative, video, role playing, performance, reflection, graphics and art. It makes their stories and their lives important and presented in a more cohesive format. To be continued......

References

McLuhan, H. M. (1964) Understanding Media. n.y. 1964 , p. 8, 9.

Retrieved September 13, 2009 from http://www.eric@marshall-mcluhan.com

Duncan, B. (1991) Media Literacy Makes it Possible to see Both the Forest and the Trees-

Teaching Backgrounder: Education Forum, Ontario Secondary Teacher's Federation, V17(1),

Etobicoke, On, Canada Retrived September 13, 2009 from

http://www.media -

awarness.ca/english/resources/educational/teaching_backgrounders/medialiter

Week1 Blog Remix of Education #2

Week1 Blog Posting Education Learning Remix #2- web2.0

Education Remix. Take the needle of the record (Sccratch!!) We have the tools lets use them ! Yes, I know there is administrative brick wall! That's why we invented hurdles or if your brave enough to use the pole vault or even better, let's have an open discussion. Design the presentation using web 2.0 applications. Clever yes but one most show by example. Most people say NO to something before they have a true understanding of what you really are talking about. So preparing and demonstrating web 2.0 tools to the local school board or school Administration should do the trick. Well of course there are constraints, but it is up to you to investigate what they are, surely you can be clever enough to work with in them and around then. But with this presentation use web 2.0 tools that the administration can use to be more efficient, effective and impressed. Show them that it will cost them nothing more than what there already spent. Yes, it's true the web 2.0 boat has sailed. But we have the capabilities of adding a motor and catching up to our new education remix. Our System has needed to be remixed for a long time we are long over due. We are in the state of losing our most valuable resource our learners. So how do we fight this up hill battle of change? We should follow our fearless leader's Clay Shirky and use the power of organizing without an organization. Sounds familiar ! You should check out Clay Shirky on www.Ted.com. he goes into great detail about change just by using social networking tools it is exponential in it's vaule and power.We as students of Full Sail University should start a change movement for technology in schools helping reshape the our Local, State and Federal government at least we have a thinking and compassionate President. Our focus is to explain Web 2.0 in a way that does not over whelm the general public. We need to educate them about the global competition that is real and happening now. We have to compete from a place of strength and that would be our young learners we need to open up the flood gates and let it flow add your constraints/filters because you will need some but not at the risk of our nations most valuable assets. So take the needle off the record and insert web 2.0 technology and future technologies so we can be a free people. So as you know your choices are infinite in the exponential sense of things lets unite the cause with Facebook, Myspace, twitter, blogging ,wikis, emails, etc. Otherwise we will have less people graduating. This young man graduated from law school class of 2009. Has already taken the bar he is prepared with tools to provide a real future he is Generation Y or the MTV generation that is peer oriented due to the facilitation of communication through technology. Youtube,Facebook,MySpace,Twitter, Ipod, IM,email,texting. What our next move?

Sites to visit:

http//.www.ted.com

http//.meetupgroups.com

http//www.facebook.com

http//www.iste.org

http// techlearning.com

http://Rezed.org

Great books to read:

The tipping point: How little things can make a big difference. Malcolm Gladwell

Outliers Malcolm Gladwell

Week 1 Blog Posting #1 The Cultural Media Wave-A new tide-Web 2.0 -

The cultural media wave has hit us educators squarely in the face. There is no turning our backs or hiding this time. It would be best to embrace the cultural wave and go out and come back in again with the new tide. The phenomenon of Web 2.0 is amazing like a breathe of fresh air followed by the ocean spray. Each droplet that falls on you face is a reminder of a new application of the Web 2.0 phenomenon or the epidemic that Malcolm Gladwell, speaks of in The Tipping Point (2000). Our challenge as educators should be to change remix, create, engage and by collaboration inspire our learners. Just by stopping and closely observing our learners, by really listening and interacting with them and finding out what really matters to them. The world around them is in turmoil, they want to help and with our guidance we can nurture exceptional people using these Web 2.0 tools to create long lasting connections and valuable real world skills, Social networking, Collaborating, Blogging, Picture/Video, Financial and Time Management, followed by an infinite list of Web 2.0 applications.
With that said I do, understand that we must maintain our teaching curriculum standards and goals. It is time to remove the worn out rose colored glasses and pick up a kaleidoscope and refocus on new textural content by way of Web 2.0 applications. The implementation can come simply by looking around your classroom and you will noticed that you have a rich multi-cultural diverse group of learners, and that they posse all different kinds of multiple intelligences strengths. Taking that into consideration review one of your old boring assignments and revamped it. Make it address real issues like cultural diversity and incorporate Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences,(Linguistic, Logical Mathematical, Spatial, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Musical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalist, Existential). You already know most of your learners have developed more than one of these intelligences. To me it sounds like the making of a good video or a movie. Assign each learner a role to play in the making of the movie\video. Set some parameters using only Web 2.0 applications. Using these Web 2.0 applications will, inspire critical thinking , organizational skills, help analyze, evaluate, create and engage our critical learners in away they see the world and how they use technology now and in the future. We must remember these children have never live in a world without the internet. The outcome from projects like these and great edutainment games like Quest Atlantis which is in the realm of Web 2.0 applications, achieves as David Warlick so aptly stated" We are finally beginning to pay serious attention to video games for learning". Quest Atlantis is an immersive 3-D multi user environment game that meets all the criteria designed by Indiana University team headed by Dr.Sascha Barab and funded by Catherine T. and John D. Mac Arthur foundation. They have created a game with higher order thinking that meets with seven principles of Social Commitments and they are Social Responsibility, Personal Agency, Healthy Communites, Diversity, Affirmation, Environmental Awareness, Creative Expression and Compassionate Wisdom. This has become an international game for grade school age learners age 11-16. This game meets and exceeds all the standard Science Math Language Arts and Technology requirements qualitatively and quantitatively it is a learning and teaching project. See the Quest Atlantis Videos I have posted and you will Live Learn and Play in the world of Quest Atlantis.

References

Gladwell, M. (2002) The tipping point: How little things can make a big difference.

New York: Little Brown and Company

Gardner, H: Intelligence Reframed: Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century

Barbab,S. (2008)Quest Atlantis,Retrieved Sept 8, 2009 from http//www,crlt.indiana.edu/research.qa.html

Solomon, G. , Schrum,D. (2007) web 2.0. new tools, new schools. International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Eugene,Oregon